BELLVILLE — There is a mural of an angry black horse crashing through a brick wall painted on the east end of Clear Fork’s Les Hauenstein Gymnasium.
Beside the horse, the words “The Stampede” are painted in a splashy font, grabbing the attention of anyone who walks in the gym.
The painting, a gift from the Class of 2023, perfectly captures the frenetic energy the Colts are playing with this winter. Fifth-year coach Scott Sellers has loosened the reins and the results speak for themselves.
Galion at Clear Fork photo gallery:
“We’re playing a lot faster,” Sellers said. “This summer I knew we would be eight or nine deep and we’ve been comfortable playing at that pace all season.
“To play the way we’re playing, it’s a lot of fun and the kids bought into it.”
Clear Fork’s frantic end-to-end style produced 19 regular-season wins and, after Thursday’s 65-26 victory over Galion, a fourth straight sectional championship.
“Any time you can win a sectional championship on your home floor, it’s special,” Sellers said. “Four in a row, it means a lot to us.”
Sellers employs a nine-player rotation and runs in substitutes not unlike a hockey coach. It’s not unusual to see three or four players waiting at the scorer’s table to check in every three or four minutes.
What’s best for the team
To make it work, Sellers had to juggle his starting lineup. That meant Ashlyn Wine, a junior forward who started early in the season, would come off the bench.
“I’ve told her all year she is good enough to start, but what’s better for the team is the energy she bring to the floor at about the five-minute mark,” Sellers said. “Not a lot of kids can take that, but Ashlyn Wine can. That’s her make-up, to be a team-first player.”
Wine scored a career-high 18 points in Thursday’s win over Galion.
“I was a starter at the beginning of the year and half-way through the year (Sellers) said, ‘I think this team will be better if we had you come off the bench,’ ” Wine said. “It was hard for me at first. I had a couple of practices where I was sad, but I understood that this was better for my team.”
Having Mel Blubaugh doesn’t hurt, either. The ultra-athletic senior guard averaged 18.5 points a game during the regular season and dropped 15 in Thursday’s win over Galion (3-20).
“We ask a lot of her,” Sellers said of Blubaugh, who will play collegiately at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. “She does so many things for us.”
The Colts also got 12 points from Brinley Barnett and 10 from Eliana Pelkey.
Galion was led by Izzy Bowman and Maryssa Scott, who each scored six. Kayla Halbisen added four.
Clear Fork advances to next week’s Shelby district tournament. The Colts will play fifth-seeded Edison in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Feb. 19.
“I think this team can win every game,” Wine said. “Not a lot of people practice like us and not a lot of people do what we do.”
